ODU's Rudisill Named State Coach of the Year

June 27, 2003
By ODU Athletics

ODU Sports

June 27, 2003

NORFOLK, VA (June 27, 2003) Old Dominion head golf coach Murray Rudisill was named the 2003 Virginia State Golf Association Coach of the Year as selected by the Virginia Division I coaches on Thursday. Rudisill, the 2003 Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Coach of the Year, led Old Dominion to their first ever CAA Championship and their first bid into the NCAA Tournament. The Monarchs golfers tied Stanford for 15th at the NCAA West Regional in Auburn, Washington.

Heading the All-State first team for the second consecutive season is Brendon de Jonge (Harare Zimbabwe) from Virginia Tech. Brendon also became a two-time PING All-American second team selection and was named to the PING All-South Region first team for the second time this year. The senior won the 2003 Big East Conference medalist honors and finished second at the 2002 Western Refining All-America Golf Classic, an individual event that invites the top collegiate golfers in the country every fall. He is the all-time leader at Virginia Tech in stroke average.

Geoff Harris (Reading England), a senior for Old Dominion, repeats on the All-State first team and became only the third golfer in CAA history to be twice named Golfer of the Year. Harris was one of five finalists for the Byron Nelson Award after setting an ODU record for single season scoring average (71.76) and recording 16 sub-par rounds this season. He set the CAA Tournament record with a three-day total of 13-under par at the Independence Golf Club (70-66-67=203) in leading the Monarchs to their first ever CAA title. An All South-Region selection, Harris was also recognized as an Academic All-American by the Golf Coaches Association for the second straight year.

Senior Ted Brown (Peterborough, Ontario) from Virginia Commonwealth University earns All-State first team honors after making the second team in 2002. Brown was also selected to the All-CAA first team and was the runner-up at the 2003 CAA Championships. Brown, the co-champion at the Cardinal Intercollegiate, was invited to the NCAA Regional as an individual. Brown tied for second with a 208 at the Regionals, advancing to the NCAA Championship. He averaged a 72.45 over 14 tournaments and led VCU in all but two of their events this past season.

Jay Woodson (Powhatan, Va./Powhatan), a junior from James Madison University, was named to the 2003 All-CAA men's golf second team. Woodson, the reigning Virginia State Amateur champion, won the Liberty Spring Classic and finished the season with the best stroke average (73.13) on the team. The Dukes advanced to the 2003 NCAA East Regional where Woodson finished tied for 87th with a 228.

Completing the first team for the second year in a row is junior Craig Mason (Lorton, VA) from George Mason University. Mason received All-CAA second team accolades after leading the Patriots with a 72.9 stroke average. He was GMU's top finisher in seven tournaments and was named a Golf Coaches Association of America/ PING Mid-Atlantic All-Region selection for the second consecutive season.

Repesenting Old Dominion on the second team is senior Chris Piercy (Reading, England). Piercy, a 2002 Academic All-American, finished second on the team at the NCAA Regionals with a 223 and averaged a 75 over 34 rounds for the 2002-03 season.